variants
or counter-attacks
as in attacks
an attack made to counter an enemy's attack
suddenly the tide of battle turned, and the rebels, who had been falling back, made a furious counterattack
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counterattacks
Bassong continued in the midfield through 2025, bringing that same intense defensive presence while jump-starting counterattacks.
—
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Launch units can reposition quickly, reducing vulnerability to counterattacks.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
Considering that Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel for nearly a month, Israeli fatalities from Iran’s counterattacks have remained remarkably low thanks to the country’s air defense system, its early-warning sirens and publicly available bomb shelters.
—Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
Oil and gas prices have soared this past month after Iran launched counterattacks that closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off about 20% of the world’s supply of oil from global markets.
—Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Ukraine has sought to derail the Kremlin’s plans by launching counterattacks in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, where Russian forces have sought to carve out bridgeheads with an aim to advance toward the regional capitals, which are key industrial hubs.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Our Middle East allies and embassies are bearing the brunt of counterattacks.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
Zelensky said late Monday that counterattacks by Ukrainian forces at eastern and southern points along the front line have wrecked Moscow’s plans for a March offensive.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Swift and punishing counterattacks.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 15 Mar. 2026
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Launch units can reposition quickly, reducing vulnerability to counterattacks.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
Considering that Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel for nearly a month, Israeli fatalities from Iran’s counterattacks have remained remarkably low thanks to the country’s air defense system, its early-warning sirens and publicly available bomb shelters.
—Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
Oil and gas prices have soared this past month after Iran launched counterattacks that closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off about 20% of the world’s supply of oil from global markets.
—Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Ukraine has sought to derail the Kremlin’s plans by launching counterattacks in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, where Russian forces have sought to carve out bridgeheads with an aim to advance toward the regional capitals, which are key industrial hubs.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Our Middle East allies and embassies are bearing the brunt of counterattacks.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
Zelensky said late Monday that counterattacks by Ukrainian forces at eastern and southern points along the front line have wrecked Moscow’s plans for a March offensive.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Swift and punishing counterattacks.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterattacks
Noun
-
According to the independent National Institute for Security Studies in Israel, at least 1,116 people have been killed amid the Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the parallel Iran war began.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has its own navy that also relies on smaller vessels to do swarm attacks and drop mines.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Russia still controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has recently clawed back limited ground in counteroffensives.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Dynamic shifts on the battlefield — with large swaths of Ukrainian land changing hands in offensives and counteroffensives in the early years of the war — have since given way to a conflict of inches.—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
According to state officials, the assaults took place between 2002 and 2008.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Such units have traditionally been used for missions like large-scale evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, including raids and assaults.—
James Legge,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields and tanker terminals threaten to the prolong the global economic pain for months, even years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This is especially important in fast-moving conflict zones where exposure even for a short time can lead to counterstrikes.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterattacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterattacks. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
